Falling in Love at a Café
by mindturning
Summary: When Ichigo Kurosaki visits a café in Paris, meeting Orihime Inoue was not a part of his order. Inspired by the song "Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop" by Landon Pigg.
1. Chapter 1

Here's a new story! YAY! Well, this story was inspired by a song: "Falling In Love At a Coffee Shop" by Landon Pigg.

**Summary: **When Ichigo Kurosaki visits a café in Paris, meeting Orihime Inoue was not a part of his order.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or the song that inspired this story.

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><p>The sun beat down upon the ancient city, making it sparkle. A young man walked down its narrow streets, checking left and right whether he was going in the right direction. Deciding to take a right, he found what he was finally looking for and looked at the café, hesitating whether he should really enter. After all, his best friends did suggest it to him and they just might be pulling a prank on him. Sighing, he decided to walk in.<p>

Opening the door that gave a slight jingle, Ichigo Kurosaki saw that it was quite spacious and cozy-looking. Choosing a table in the corner, he sat down in the plush chair and heavily breathed out. He could practically feel the stares from these rude people. Alright, so he had bright orange hair. Get over it. Ichigo had recalled from Renji and Rukia to expect to be stared at, saying "After all, they are French. Their hobby is practically people-watching." Ichigo raised his hand for someone to give him a menu and stared at the wooden table.

Ichigo had just moved to Paris, France about two-weeks prior due to the need to just get away. He had just found out that his ex-girlfriend was engaged and was to be married. Sure they had broken up about a year ago, but when he had seen that wedding invitation, he just about lost it. Then when he had gone to work and saw that there was a promotion to go to Paris for business, he made sure to do all that he could to get it. He needed to get away from the sudden nostalgic town.

He heard footsteps approaching his table, they sounded to have a bit of a bounce if he listened carefully. _Finally._ He looked up away from the table and his eyes widened at the vision before him.

The sun streamed into the room through the French doors, giving the perfect amount of light. Orihime Inoue took her hairpins off of her dresser and placed them in her hair as she does every day, her daily routine. Double checking that she had everything, Orihime then smiled to herself in the mirror and walked out of her home to the streets below.

She had lived in France since she was a little girl with her older brother after he had saved her from their abusive parents. How he had gotten the money for both the plane and to rent a place, she had no idea. But she did know that he had literally saved her life, she didn't know where she would've been if he hadn't taken her. The more Orihime thought of her older brother, the more somber she became. He had died in a hit-and-run when she was just 16 years old.

Orihime shook her head wildly, forcing herself out of the saddened thoughts. _I mustn't think these kinds of things! Sora wouldn't want me to be sad…_ The auburn beauty analyzed the cracks on the sidewalk and then looked up, seeing that she had reached her end of the walk. She smiled at the bold letters. **Café du Soleil. **_The Sun Café._ She then opened the door with the sound of laughter filling her ears. All heads turned to the door and Orihime was immediately greeted with multiple of voices. Her best friend had then jogged up to her, giving her a tight hug.

"Oh, it's great to see you Orihime!" The raven-haired girl commented.

"Tatsuki, we saw each other just yesterday!" She laughed jubilantly and let her go.

The atmosphere was energetic even if it was about 6:30 in the morning. The red-head began her daily duties: wiping the tables with a wet rag, rinsing the cups from dust that may have collected over night and sweeping the room thoroughly. Before she knew it, it was already opening time: 7:00. She ran to the backroom and quickly put on her black apron, tying it around her waist.

She happily served the customers, whether they were rude or not, she kept herself happy since she loved her job. Even if it was being just a waitress.

It wasn't until about noon that there was a bit of a bustle in the comfy café. It was her break and she was in the backroom with Tatsuki, eating a croque-monsieur with pickles. Suddenly, Nel, another waitress, ran into the room with a huge smile on her face.

"You guys have to come out!"

"What? Why? What happened?" Tatsuki shot up from her seat, slightly concerned until Nel's smile sunk in her mind that she was quite happy. So something good must be happening.

"There's this guy at the corner table, and he is so _cute_! I just want to go up to him and say hi!" She then leaned herself against the wall and sighed.

The raven-head only shook her head, seating herself down once more.

"Well, why don't you go and say hi?" Orihime asked, chewing on her sandwich slowly.

"Orihime, it's already 12:40. It's your shift right now." With those words out her mouth, Orihime's eyes widened and glanced at her phone, seeing that it was indeed her turn.

"Oh my gosh! Time goes by so quick!" She gulped down the rest of her sandwich and ran out the door, apron in hand.

Quickly walking to the corner table in which Nel had mention, she had only seen bright orange hair and a hand held slightly up. The auburn beauty then stepped in front of the table with a smile brightening her face.

"Bon jour monsieur! What would you like to have today?"

The man moved his head upwards to look at her and she looked down upon a set of deep brown eyes and that was when she felt her heart flutter.

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><p>I hope you liked it! I'm sorry, it's not that long, I'll promise to make the chapters longer, this is just the start. :) Review please!<p>

BTW, a croque-monsieur is a ham and cheese sandwich made in France. I'll put in the French related words at the end of each chapter. If you don't know what anything means, please let me know and I'll be glad to tell you what it is. :D

And yes, I am obssessed with France. Just as much as I am obssessed with Bleach and IchiHime. :3


	2. Chapter 2

I'm sorry this took quite long to write, and it's not even much to begin with. =/ I blame my laziness and procrastination. Dx Please review when you're done reading! I would greatly appreciate it. :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or the song that inspired this story. All I have is this odd story that connects the two.

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><p>Both parties were quiet for a while, each blinking at the other. Orihime nervously tucked her hair behind her ear and began to bite her lip.<p>

"Uh, monsieur? Your order?" She mumbled with a low voice.

Ichigo blinked a few more times and then clear his throat. _What the hell just happened there?_ "Right, yeah. Sorry. A crêpe with strawberries inside and vanilla ice cream as well."

"Ooh! A crêpe with strawberries! I love strawberries, especially when it's with chocolate syrup. Would you like chocolate syrup also? You can't just have the strawberries!" She then laughed and looked at him expectantly.

"Er, yeah. Sure, why not." The orange-head scowled to the side, not looking at his waitress anymore. _Holy crap, what is happening? _He could feel his heart pound just slightly faster and his face would become warm whenever she would just smile at him. _I don't even know who this girl is…_

"Great! Your order will be here soon." Orihime was still smiling, even though she knew the man wasn't looking at him and walked away. She went to the kitchen and placed the piece of paper on the rack while dinging the bell so that the cooks would know that there was a new order. She quickly walked to the backroom, anxious to tell Tatsuki what had just happened. Once she burst in through the door, she quickly walked to her best friend and shook her shoulders.

"He's out to get me!" She practically yelled.

"Who's out to get you?" Tatsuki tried her best to not take this statement to heart since she knew how creative and imaginative her auburn friend can get.

"The guy with the orange hair! And his scowl! He already put a bug in me causing weird things to happen in my stomach! What if he wants to _kill_ me?" Orihime gasped and wrapped her arms around her stomach. "What is the little blue men betrayed me and joined forces with him? And then the robots will come! We have to save the world, Tatsuki!" She flailed her arms about, but then stopped when Tatsuki put her hand calmly on her shoulder.

"I'm sure that guy isn't out to get you and the world will not end with robots and little blue men."

"But you don't know that."

"No, I guess I don't, but I do know that that feeling in your stomach is probably because you got nervous… or your hormones. I mean, it's about time they kicked in! You're 20 years old already! And still a virgin!"

"T-Tatsuki! You know why I'm still a… a…"

"Yeah, yeah. Waiting for the right guy, I know." The raven-head smiled to her best friend, she obviously couldn't pass this moment to tease the innocent woman.

With the smile at hand, Orihime knew all was well and grinned. She then heard the ringing of a bell and ran to the kitchen to grab the man's order.

Placing the plate and ice cream on a tray, she opened the swinging doors with her back and carefully walked to the corner table, not wanting to trip. She already had enough of broken plates within her history in the café. Arriving at his table, she placed the plate and the ice cream glass on his table.

"Bon appétit!" She exclaimed with a large smile. Those words said, she turned around to walk away when suddenly she felt a hand clasp around her wrist. Looking back, she saw the man was slightly out of his seat, reaching out for her. It then slowly processed in her mind that it was his hand stopping her from walking away.

"Oh, I'm sorry, it's just I didn't know your name and I didn't want to be rude and… um…" Ichigo just began to form words out of his mouth, not really knowing what was to come out next. _Damn, I sound like an idiot right now!_ _What do I say… what do I _say_? _

"It's Orihime."

"Huh?"

"My name. It's Orihime." He then let go of her wrist, sitting back down. "It'd a Japanese name and it means 'princess'…" Her voice began to fade away, realizing that she was giving information about herself to a stranger. _Why did I just say that? Maybe he hypnotized me! He has hypnotizing powers!_

"Wait. You're from Japan?" Ichigo blurted out. Her French was impeccable, while his was… certainly not.

"Yes. I mean, I was born there and then I moved here to France when I was young." Orihime began to choose her words carefully, but somehow her gut was telling her to open up to this man, to this _stranger_.

_Well that explains it then… Wait, why am I so interested? I'm here for business! Business only, business only, business only…_ Ichigo repeated this mantra in his mind and looked at the auburn beauty. "Well, thank you Orihime." He gave a slight smile and turned to his food.

Perplexed, the waitress walked away this time. _Weird… He's interested and then he's not all of a sudden…_ Orihime tried to figure this man out, but decided to just let it be. She probably wouldn't see him again either way.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow. Walk home safe okay!" The raven-haired woman hugged her friend tightly and then walked off.

Orihime closed the café, locking the door and began walking home. What she didn't notice was the man lurking within the shadows, following her. She began humming a song, but then stopped and listened to the sounds of the city. It was eerily quiet. Something felt odd, but she couldn't place what was making her feel that way. That was when she heard running footsteps come behind her and before she could blink, hands were wrapped tightly around her body with a knife to her throat. He breathing hitched, her head felt woozy, she couldn't think straight.

"Hey there _gorgeous_," the man purred in her ear while sliding the knife up and down on the surface of the nape of her neck.

Her heart thudded in her chest; she didn't know what to do. That was when she heard another pair of footsteps running and all of a sudden the grip around her body was gone. She turned around as her grey eyes widened at the scene before her eyes.

There was the man with the bright orange hair from the café actually fighting off the guy that could've killed her. And he was _winning_. Orihime was in complete shock.

The bad guy stabbed the air with his knife, missing Ichigo's neck by a few centimeters. He then punched him on his right cheek, saliva flying out of the man's mouth, then kicked him on his chest, throwing him to the ground. The guy coughed loudly and wheezed. Ichigo was about to hit him once more when Orihime ran up to up to him and put her hand on his arm. He looked at her, fury in his eyes, but when he really looked into her eyes, he immediately calmed down, his anger disappearing. The man coughed once more and Ichigo just looked down in annoyance.

"Best remember this experience so that you better not do this crap to some other innocent girl." The carrot-top scolded with a deep frown placed upon his visage. He then unconsciously grabbed the beauty's hand and walked away. When they had walked a block down, Ichigo had let go of her hand and placed his hands in his jeans pockets. They were both silent for awhile when Orihime finally spoke.

"Thank you for saving me… I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't come…" She then shuddered at the thought and looked down at the sidewalk.

"Um, you're welcome…"

Orihime then stopped walking, turned to the man that just saved her life, and gave him a small smile before speaking. "Well, I guess I better get home. I don't know how I can ever repay you back for saving me…"

"You really don't have to-,"

"Oh! I know! One free meal everyday for… a month!" She grinned, but then it faltered, "No, that still wouldn't be enough…"

"Really, it's fine, you don't have to repay me back. I did it because I wanted to. I wasn't going to stand idly by either way."

"But there must be something…" Orihime then slightly pouted and Ichigo's heart began to beat faster.

"Well, let me at least walk you home then. I don't think I'd be able to sleep at night if I didn't know that you got home safely."

Orihime's eyes widened, she didn't know what to say to this man. Should she trust him? He did save her life after all…

"Don't worry, if you never want to see me again, I'll be gone, but I just want to make sure that you'll be okay tonight…" He glanced away, slightly blushing as to his open feelings.

"That seems fair."

He turned his head back towards her, slightly shocked as to her acceptance of his offer. Brown eyes analyzed grey, and it was her eyes that looked away out of shyness.

Both adults walked onward, Ichigo following Orihime's lead, his eyes following her swift movements, his ears listening to her melodic voice. Orihime led the way, her eyes following his large steps, her ears listening to his deep voice. Both made small conversation, about the weather, the stars, and neither minded the other's company.

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><p>Soooo what did you think? And I'm sorry for putting Orihime in a bad position, I would never truly put her in harm's way! I just thought that Ichigo's protective side should've came in. xD Review please!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Hello fellow readers~! I know it's been a LOOONGG while, and I am still alive and breathing! I've been losing my writing juices, but they're not gone yet! And I know you guys deserve an AMAZING UPDATE, so here it is. I've actually been working on this chapter for a long time, I've just been neglecting it. I'm sorry for being so invincible lately, but hopefully with my current time off until the start of my next semester, I can write and update a bit more. I hope you enjoy! Read and review please :)

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of the characters or the song that inspired this story.**

~.-.~: This is a change of perspective, or a change in point of view. Kind of. It's like a transition. You'll see... (I just felt changed the sign cause my old transition symbol hasn't been appearing for some reason)

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><p>Their laughter slowly faded away and Orihime looked up, discovering that they had arrived at her apartment building. She softly sighed and turned to the handsome stranger.<p>

"Thank you for everything. I really enjoyed our walk." She grinned at him, her cheeks getting rosier by the second. "Well, I guess I'll be going now and you should get home too, it is late after all…"

"Right, yeah. Well, get there safely." Ichigo was about to walk away when the young auburn called him.

"Wait! I just realized that I don't know your name…" Her voice began to slowly falter towards the end and she began fidgeting.

"It's Ichigo."

"Well, Ichigo, I hope that you get home safely also." She smiled again and he chuckled and turned around.

"Ichigo?"

He turned his head towards her, waiting for what she was going to say.

"I hope that you come to the café soon." Blushing madly, she gave one last smile and walked inside, leaving the man in a stupor.

~.-.~

Ichigo unlocked his house door and threw his keys on the counter table that stood next to the front door. On top of the counter was his house phone and saw that he had 2 messages. Pressing play, the voice machine played out the message as he was taking off his jacket.

"_**Hey Ichigo! Renji and I hope you're doing alright, you haven't phoned us in a couple of days so we were hoping that you were alright-,"**_

"_**And that you didn't go off and kill your own sorry ass." Renji yelled in the background with a following sound of a smack and "What the hell was that for?!"**_

"_**So, please call us back soon. Renji and I are just worried for you-,"**_

"_**Actually Rukia, it's only you. Wait, no, I was just kidding! I was kidding! I'm worried about the poor bastard too! Ow!"**_

"_**So, yeah. Hope to hear from you soon! Bye!"**_

Ichigo shook his head and the next message came on.

"_**Ichigo, my boy! It's your wonderful daddy here! I hope you haven't forgotten your family here in Japan. You know, just because you're off in France now doesn't make you cool! You should pick up your phone calls too you know! Don't ignore your loving father! And remember to wear a condom if you have sex with a beautiful French lady! But who would want you anyways, a man who ignores his own blood! Call back your family soon, young man!"**_

Ichigo banged his head on the wall; he honestly doesn't know how he endured all those years with his father. There was rustling in the background and a new voice came on, in fact it was two.

"_**I miss you Ichi-nii! I hope you're doing alright and that you're eating enough too, I know you can be lazy sometimes…"**_

Ichigo's heart warmed hearing Yuzu's voice and then Karin's followed.

"_**You better be taking care of yourself, Ichi-nii. And don't be so down either if you have been. We miss you over here…" *cough* "Well, bye, Ichi-nii."**_

Other byes were heard from the background and the message ended. Ichigo scoffed and continued down the narrow hall to the stairs. That was when the phone rang and he angrily breathed out, skipping down the steps and grabbed the phone.

"Hello?"

"Ichigo!"

It was Rukia.

"What the hell, Rukia? Do you know what time it is?"

"Yeah. It's almost 8:30 in the morning."

"Maybe for you, but not for me. It's past midnight!"

"Oh, right, the time difference!" She lightly laughed on the other line and Ichigo just scowled.

"Well, you weren't picking up before! Renji and I were getting worried."

"I was out, that's why. And I'm fine; you don't have to worry about me."

"Are you sure?" The petite woman questioned.

"Yes! Now I'm tired and going to bed."

"Well, alright. Don't have to be so _grumpy_. Talk to you later."

"Yeah, yeah. Bye midget." He hung up and placed the phone down. Walking back up the stairs grudgingly, he entered his bedroom and began undressing. He stretched his arms upwards, trying to relax his muscles after the interesting night he had. He slowly walked to his bathroom and decided he'd take a shower. Hopefully it'd help him sleep better.

As the warm water cascaded down his figured body, Ichigo just couldn't clear his head. This woman he just met somehow couldn't get out of his mind. Squeezing his eyes shut, the orange head punched the wall with the side of his fist. _I can't get attached; this is a business-only trip… It wouldn't work out either way…_ He slowly opened his eyes and let out a deep breath. Turning off the water, he grabbed the towel that was on the rack and got out of the shower.

~.-.~

Orihime walked up the stairs to the second floor. Her footsteps lightly thudded as she walked to the front door. The door made a loud 'click' as she unlocked it and stepped inside. Her shoulders were slightly hunched over, the events of the night finally catching up to her. She didn't realize how tired she was until the walk with Ichigo had come to a close. _Ichigo._ For some odd reason she couldn't get this new man out of her mind.

"Oh, I don't know what I'm going to do…" The young beauty spoke out loud to herself, placing her hands on her warming cheeks. "I can't be having these feelings for someone that I don't know that well… Oh, I know what happened! It's only the night doing tricks in my mind _making _me think I have feelings! Oh, night can be tricky sometimes…" Orihime began humming to herself and decided to take a shower before she went to bed.

~.-.~

Grey eyes slowly opened, taking in the sight before them. They blinked before closing again, and then snapping open. Orihime propped up from bed and looked at the clock on her bedside table. It read a quarter to seven. Jumping out of bed, the auburn girl ran to and fro around her room, grabbing any clothing that she touched and putting it quickly on. She sped out the door, running down the stairs and onto the street. She ran to the café, not stopping once. Dramatically slamming the door open, Orihime stepped in the café, panting. All heads from the counter turned their heads to her with wide eyes.

"Sorry. I'm. Late." She said between breaths.

"Orihime! What happened?" Tatsuki quickly walked to her best friend, setting her on a chair before she passed out.

That was when footsteps were heard and a glass of water was presented in front of the flushed auburn. She gladly took it, gulping it down. Setting it down on the table beside her, she looked up to thank the person, but then gasped seeing who it was.

"Monsieur Ishida!" She stood up from the chair so quickly that it tipped over and clattered on the floor, causing her to slightly jump at the noise. "I-I just came in, I'm so sorry I'm late, I overslept, not on purpose of course! It was by accident! I -,"

"Orihime, it's alright. Just sit down and calm down, I wouldn't want you to be feeling unwell later in the day. And I told you to call me Uryu, just like everyone else in café." He gave her a small smile to let her know that she isn't in trouble.

"Well, yes, but you're the manager…" She mumbled under her breath. Uryu only chuckled and walked away as Orihime began blushing.

She turned to her friend with wide-eyes while Tatsuki only shrugged and turned around. She breathed out and followed in suit.

It was another busy day in the café and Orihime's break was shortened due to the increased number of customers. She was so preoccupied that she almost didn't notice the orange-top man come in. She just set an order on a customer's table when she looked up and saw him. Instinctively, Orihime grinned and walked up to him.

"You came."

"I came." He gave a half-smile and she lightly laughed.

"Well, I guess you should seat yourself and I'll be there to take your order in a few."

Ichigo nodded and saw that the table he sat in last time was empty once again. Taking long strides, he tried his best to ignore the stares and noisily sat down. He glanced at the menu and decided he'd just get the same order as last time; he didn't have enough focus and was too lazy to bother reading the menu. He glanced out the large window pane beside him, his eyes focusing on random objects.

"Hi! I'm sorry for the wait, today's busier than usual. So, what would you like?" Orihime smiled down at him, her heart beating hard inside her chest. She could practically almost hear her pulse beating in her ears.

"I'll get the same thing I got last time, if you remember…"

"Of course I do! It was a crêpe with strawberries and the chocolate syrup that I insisted along with vanilla ice cream. I always remember things, especially from really cute guys-," Her eyes widened in horror when she just realized what she said. _I really need to think before I talk! Quick, what do I say? What do I say?!_ "He, I-I mean… Your order will be here soon," she quickly turned on her heel and walked away to place his order. _I can't believe I said that out loud!_

Ichigo watched her walk away, dumbfounded as to what just happened before him. _She called me cute?_ Slightly blushing at the thought, the confused orange top cleared his throat and went back to looking out the window. Minutes later, a plate appeared before him, startling him.

"Bon appétit! And remember, you don't have to pay. Free meals for a month for saving my life." Orihime smiled and began walking away when Ichigo called out to her.

"Wait. I really don't mind paying, it's fine, you don't owe me anything-,"

"But I do!" Orihime strut back to him full force. "You saved _my life_. This is the least I could do, unless you want something else, anything for what you did. I mean it was _my life_, I might not be here if it weren't for you! I mean really-,"

"What time do you get out today?" He blurted out.

"W-what time do I-I get out to-today?" Orihime swore her heart stopped for a few seconds.

"Yeah. What time do you get out today?" Ichigo snickered, flashing a crooked smile.

_Oh no… oh no. I can't breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale._

"Orihime? Are you okay?" Ichigo stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders, concern in his eyes. The auburn jumped at his sudden touch and Ichigo jumped back from her sudden reaction.

"Yeah, I'm fine! And, um, 6. It's Nel's turn to close the café, so I get out earlier today. 6. Yeah, 6. Why do you ask?"

"I was hoping that maybe we could get to know each other better… Maybe over dinner tonight?" _What am I doing? Dammit. I really need to stop going with my instincts so much…_

"Know each other better? Dinner?"

"Yeah. I mean, if you don't want to, that's perfectly fine. You know what? Never mind. Forget I asked. Sorry to bother." Ichigo felt so embarrassed. _Well that went well… _He decided to start eating his food as a distraction. Orihime just stared at him, her mouth slightly open.

"Dinner?"

"Yeah. Silly of me to ask. Sorry." Ichigo chuckled, but not really meaning it. Inside he felt like practically throwing up as he was practically stabbing the plate with his fork.

"I'd love to."

Ichigo's head perked up, almost not believing what he was hearing. "You'd love to?"

"Yeah. I'd love to go to dinner with you, Ichigo." A smile slowly formed onto her face turning into a grin.

"Great!" Ichigo heartily laughed and then calmed himself down. He cleared his throat, correcting himself. "I mean, that's great. So I'll pick you up around 8 then." Orihime nodded and giggled and pointed as his food.

"I'll let you eat then. So I'll see you at 8." She giggled again and began walking backwards away from his table not knowing that there was another waitress who didn't see her going in the same direction. She then spun around, knocking right into the waitress, the plates flying and breaking on the floor and both falling to the ground.

"Oh not again…"

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><p>Poor Orihime. Things keep happening to her. Hope you've enjoyed it! Review?<p>

Next chapter: Date night!

This story will mainly be fluff. If I haven't mentioned this before. Maybe a bit of drama here and there to keep it interesting.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello fellow readers! I am so sorry for not updating in over a year. I've been busy with college and just life in general. I know this isn't a super long chapter, but I really wanted to post something up. I hope you enjoy! Also, I've never been to France before so if there are certain details that just don't coincide with the French culture or buildings/streets, then I apologize.

**Disclaimer: All rights to Kubo-san for creating such beautiful and amazing characters THAT DESERVE TO BE TOGETHER ALREADY.**

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><p>Orihime twirled in front of the mirror.<p>

"Are you sure this is okay?" She nervously asked, smoothing out the dress.

"Of course! You look so hot -," Orihime turned around and slightly glared at her best friend, "And modest! Don't worry, Miss This-Is-My-First-Date-And-I-Don't-Want-To-Look-Like-A-Slut."

"I just don't want him to get the wrong idea…"

Tatsuki stood up and nodded, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. Orihime already had one traumatizing date, one too many.

The guy had seemed to be nice, oddly enough he too had asked Orihime on a date in the café. He presented himself well, always dressed nicely and had a great smile. But on the day of their date, Orihime decided to be a bit daring and wear one of her favorite dresses – a long-sleeved gold dress with a scoop neckline that was about two inches above her knees. It figured her body amazingly, maybe too amazing for a first date. The dinner had gone well, he took her to a very fancy restaurant and Orihime had initially felt nervous but then started to be more comfortable with him. He had his own car service (the auburn was certainly shocked by all of the fancy, rich things this man had) and told her he would take her home. Trustingly, she said okay and went in. Once the door closed behind him, everything changed. He had grabbed her and forced a sudden kiss simultaneously roaming his hands on her body. She was so disturbed by what was happening, that she didn't know what to do for a second. She then pushed him away with all her might but she was scared and could only muster to force her face away from his lips. He was still able to grope her body some more until she had had enough, constantly telling him to stop but he wouldn't listen. Orihime was angry, and that rarely happened. Adrenaline rushed through her and she turned her body towards him, acting as if she was going to "do something" for him, but instead it was to free her leg and thus knee him in the gut (and possibly his nether region) and bolt out of the car. She ran off as far as she could, not turning around for any reason. She then stopped, gasping and she started to cry. Immediately taking her cellphone out of her small purse, she called Tatsuki and could barely speak a word through her sobs. All her best friend asked for was where she was and a bunch of insults towards her now ex-date. She had picked up the crying Orihime in her car and stayed with her that night. Orihime went to work the next day as normal, but everyone had asked about her date and she immediately started crying, and in front of her boss too. The guy had come into the café, claiming that he wanted to apologize, but Ishida immediately escorted him out and said to not ever come back again. The workers didn't know what happened, but they wouldn't allow anyone to come into the café if they had made the beautiful and nice Orihime cry.

That was the last date Orihime went on.

Of course many guys had asked her, but she would always politely say no. Tatsuki kept on poking her all night that she is finally going on a date and how happy she is for her.

7:45 PM. _15 more minutes…_ Orihime thought to herself. She breathed in deeply to calm her nerves.

"So what made you say yes to this guy?"

Orihime slightly tilted her head to the side, thinking. "He has a cute scowl." She said after awhile and smiled, turning to Tatsuki with a wide smile.

"A cute scowl? Really? That's all it took?"

"N-no! H-he… he also saved my life… And I feel comfortable talking to him… And he just seems different than the others…" She muttered.

"He better be different than the others," her best friend scoffed, punching her right hand into her left palm. "So he's going to pick you up?"

"Yes, at 8 o'clock." The auburn began to run her fingers through the ends of her hair. Tatsuki walked up to her and slowly grasped her hand.

"You don't have to be nervous, Orihime. Look if you don't wanna go, I can just call -,"

"No!" She exclaimed, practically jumping forwards. Even that had startled the dark-haired woman, even though she is practically the strongest woman in their neighborhood. "I-I want to go… I want to go on t-this date…" Tatsuki laughed lightly and hugged the nervous Orihime. That was when an obnoxiously loud buzzing sound came by the door. "He's early," Orihime mused, glancing at the clock. "Someone couldn't wait," Tatsuki wiggled her eyebrows and poked Orihime's sides. Orihime wiggled away from her and walked to the intercom, holding down the 'Speaker' button.

"W-who is it?" She nervously asked, even though she was sure as to who it was.

"Um, it's-it's Ichigo." He nervously laughed, his voice crackling through the speaker.

"Ah, I'll buzz you right in!" Orihime half-yelled and winced at her own nervous voice. She buzzed him in and waited for him to arrive at the door. She began to smooth out her dress again, forcing Tatsuki to stop her again.

Shortly after there was a knock at her door and Orihime took one last deep breath and opened the door.

There he stood wearing a white dress shirt with black dress pants and a cyan tie that was knotted perfectly. The sleeves were rolled up halfway up his arm since it was quite warm that night for the arriving summer.

Orihime took in a small gasp of air. _Holy crap he look so… Hot._ She lightly blushed at the thought and averted her eyes to the ground.

"Wow… You look…" Ichigo lightly chuckled and scratched the back of his neck, clearing his throat simultaneously. Orihime smiled down at the ground.

Someone else cleared her throat behind Orihime. Both heads turned towards the direction of the voice and Tatsuki smugly smiled.

"Hi I'm Tatsuki, I also work at the café and Orihime's best friend." She confidently strutted towards him, her hand reaching out for a handshake.

"Oh, hi, I'm Ichigo, which I'm sure you already know…" His voice slowly faltered towards the end. Orihime lightly laughed at that and Ichigo smiled inside that she made him laugh. Tatsuki gave a small smile in return, but still eyed him warily.

"Well, bring her home safe and don't you even think about trying anything or else you'll have to deal with me and I'm the strongest and toughest person around for miles!"

"Don't you mean strongest woman?" Ichigo inquired.

"No. Person."

"Gotchya." Ichigo didn't want to question anything further.

"Haha, well we better get going! I'll see you later Tatsuki." Orihime awkwardly laughed and gave a quick hug to her best friend and Ichigo merely waved goodbye, afraid to really say anything. Both walked out into the hallway and Orihime smiled up at him jubilantly. "So, where're we going?" Ichigo gave her one of his rare grins and shook his head.

"It's a surprise. But hopefully you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will," the auburn reassured him.

They took the elevator down and walked to his car and Orihime may have slightly gawked at it.

"Oh – let me explain, I promise I'm not a stuck-up guy. I'm in France for a business deal and well, my bosses insisted I came in style or whatever that's supposed to mean and I can't exactly say no to them…" He trailed off, hoping she wouldn't run away from him. She seemed like an extremely humble woman and he really didn't want a misunderstanding or misconceptions have her run away from him. Sure he's part of a world that is considered as big money, but that doesn't mean that's all he cares about. Cause it's not.

"Oh, you really didn't have to explain yourself! It's just such a shiny car… And so black… And slim," She laughed and smiled at him once more. Ichigo breathed out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding in.

"Well then, my lady." He smirked and opened the car door for her. Orihime blushed, certainly not the last time that night, and stepped into the car. Ichigo slid into the driver's seat and turned to her.

"You ready?"

The young auburn could only nod, her heart beating rapidly.

Ichigo shifted the car into gear and drove off onto the cobblestone roads.

* * *

><p>Thank you so much for reading! Please review if you have the time ~ Thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited this story or any of mine, I honestly truly appreciate it. Sometimes it blows my mind as to how many people actually read my stories cause like it's me and I just never imagined my stories actually going very far. So thank you to everyone - old and new readers! I hope you've enjoyed and until next time (which will hopefully be soon!) ~^.^~<p>

PS: Yes, I changed my name. I was previously MiszIceQueen10 and that just didn't seem appropriate for a 20 year old anymore T.T (yes, that is my actual age at the current moment...)


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